ABSTRACT
The 1952 dispute, which promised at one stage to snowball into an industry stoppage, began when D. C. Thomson, a Scottish newspaper firm which had been non-union since 1926, discharged a Natsopa man who was acting as Father of the Chape1. The employers referred the dispute to the Ministry of Labour and in April the Industrial Disputes Tribunal made an indeterminate award, which did not effect a settlement. In London machine-minders in charge of rotary machines were members of the old-established craft union, the Printing Machine Managers’ Trade Society, except in two offices, the News of the World and the News Chronicle. The five-year period of stabilization of the National Agreements with the F.M.P. and Newspaper Society expired in November 1955. The employers reported the dispute to the Minister of Labour. At almost the same time the L.T.S. also imposed an overtime ban and work-to-rule campaign, and evaded reference to the J.I.C.
